Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3113, USA.
J Am Chem Soc. 2010 Feb 3;132(4):1198-9. doi: 10.1021/ja9076793.
Droplets emitting surface-active chemicals exhibit chemotaxis toward low-pH regions. Such droplets are self-propelled and navigate through a complex maze to seek a source of acid placed at one of the maze's exits. In doing so, the droplets find the shortest path through the maze. Chemotaxis and maze solving are due to an interplay between acid/base chemistry and surface tension effects.
释放表面活性化学物质的液滴会向 pH 值较低的区域表现出趋化性。这些液滴是自推进的，并通过复杂的迷宫导航，以寻找放置在迷宫出口之一的酸源。在这样做的过程中，液滴找到了通过迷宫的最短路径。趋化性和解决迷宫问题是由于酸碱化学和表面张力效应之间的相互作用。
